NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL-CHANGES IN NONTARGET WILDLIFE EXPOSED TO ORGANOPHOSPHATE AND CARBAMATE PESTICIDES - THERMOREGULATION, FOOD-CONSUMPTION, AND REPRODUCTION

Originally utilized or developed as human poisons, anticholinesterase compounds are among the most widely used pesticides in the world and n on-target wildlife are frequently exposed. Because these compounds pri marily act by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase at synapses within the c entral and peripheral nervous systems, the potential for altering phys iological and behavioral! responses essential for survival and reprodu ction in exposed animals is great. We review the effects of acute but sublethal exposure to organophosphates and carbamates on thermoregulat ion (hypothermia), food consumption (anorexia and altered foraging beh avior), and reproduction (altered hormone levels, reductions in clutch and litter size, and alterations in reproductive behavior), and the m echanisms believed to cause them. We believe these are the direct toxi c effects most likely to reduce populations of free-living birds and m ammals within treated areas. Data from studies of captive birds and la boratory mammals and free-living individuals given controlled dosages are included with an emphasis on information published within the last 5 years. The limitations of existing data for determining the biologi cal and regulatory significance of these effects are discussed.